Beyond 1BFS: Consolidate, Globalize, or Exit

The Digital Dealflow

Author

Quartermast Advisors
January 15, 2026

Good Morning,

It’s been another busy week in the creator economy M&A. SuperAwesome acquired Starglow Media, marking a major land grab for the premium family audio ecosystem. Fixated acquired Ellify, cementing its position as a roll-up leader in the gaming creator space. Fixated had recently secured a $50 million investment from Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries.

Have you downloaded our 2026 Creator Economy M&A Report yet?

We analyzed all 81 creator economy acquisition from 2025

Thanks to our sponsors, for making it possible!
Gold sponsors: Electrify, New Economies,
Silver Sponsors: .STORE, Favikon 
Bronze Sponsors: Creator Authority, Fundmates & They Got Acquired

Ykone and Mirror Mirror merged, creating a unified powerhouse for luxury marketing. The will operate under a new name, ONE. Lastly, QYOU Media’s Chtrbox is pivoting to capture the Middle East’s high-margin growth with its new Dubai hub.

Momentum seems to have rolled over into 2026!

Quartermast Creator Economy Index

Layoff Watch

  • Meta / Reality Labs: Cutting 1,000+ roles (~10% of division) to pivot capital toward AI-integrated wearables and smart glasses

  • Ubisoft: proposed approximately 55 layoffs at its Swedish studios, including Massive Entertainment

The Weekly Roundup:

  1. Link Management: New digital creator firm launches its inaugural client list, intensifying competition in boutique talent representation (Variety).

  2. Creator Estate Planning: Legal experts are now treating creator IP and AI likeness rights as critical assets for high-net-worth estate planning (Bloomberg Tax).

  3. MENA investment grows: Guggenheim Brothers Media partnered with Abu Dhabi’s Ethmar International Holding on a new fund to invest in media, entertainment, and creator economy companies across MENA (Business Insider).

  4. Livestreaming 2026: Projections suggest a livestreaming explosion as interactive commerce becomes the primary conversion tool (The Wrap).

  5. Australia blocks accounts: Meta disabled roughly 550,000 accounts in the opening days of Australia’s historic social media ban for minors (BBC).

  6. Apple Creator Bundle: Apple launches a $12.99/month "Creator Studio" app bundle, targeting the software infrastructure layer (TechCrunch).

  7. 2026 Trends: Digiday forecasts a shift toward "AI-first" content and owned audiences as the top priorities for the fiscal year (Digiday).

  8. CES Insights: Hardware manufacturers at CES are pivoting designs specifically for the "multi-hyphenate" digital professional (CreatorIQ).

  9. Retail Innovation: Starbucks and Dr Pepper are moving beyond endorsements into co-branded R&D with creators (Ad Age).

  10. Influence Podcast: Season 6 of the Influencer Marketing Factory podcast debuts, focusing on the ROI of authenticity (Newswire).

  11. Income Gap: Data reveals rising income inequality as the top 1% of creators capture an increasingly disproportionate share of earnings (Business Insider).

  12. Roblox Compliance: Criticism of Roblox’s age-verification system highlights mounting regulatory risks for youth-focused creators (Engadget).

Upcoming Events

De-Influence

Looking for M&A guidance?

At Quartermast, we help founders navigate every step of the M&A process and maximize their exit outcomes.